Transitions Optical offers a wealth of resources to help you prepare your practice
to meet diverse patient needs – from professional education and staff training,
to bilingual and in-language patient resources.

TRAINING YOUR STAFF

Becoming a culturally competent practice is a true team effort. In order to provide
the best possible care to patients, everyone on your staff needs to be on board.
That means not only delivering the same messages, but also communicating in a way
that the patient can relate to and understand.

Check out these resources to help keep you and your staff up-to-date and in-the-know.

USING BILINGUAL AND IN-LANGUAGE RESOURCES

Consider that one in five U.S. residents now speaks a foreign language (mostly Spanish, Chinese or Arabic) at home. And, keep in mind that two out of 3 Americans believe it is a sign of respect when an eyecare professional offers educational materials that are bilingual or in other languages. The good news is …we’ve got you covered!

Check out these tools to help enhance communication during all stages of the eyecare
appointment.

There are several simple steps you can take to make your practice more welcoming
and attractive to culturally diverse patients.

Feature a variety of ethnic groups in your office displays and point-of-sale materials.

Welcome family and friends that come in with the patient – and don’t leave them
out of the eyewear selection process when they want to be included. Hispanics, Asian
Americans and African Americans are more likely than the general population to look
to others for advice before making a decision.

Stock your waiting area with in-language and culturally popular reading materials.

Consider hiring an ethnically diverse or bilingual staff to represent the patients
you serve or are interested in attracting.

While most Asian Americans speak English, as many as 77% speak another language
at home. The most common languages include various dialects of Chinese (including
simplified and traditional Mandarin), Vietnamese, Tagalog and Korean.

New research from Transitions Optical also reveals that while Asian Americans typically
speak English very well, they are the least likely demographic group to feel comfortable
communicating in English during an eye exam. Taking steps such as using bilingual
or in-language materials, as well as hiring a bilingual staff, can help to ease
communication barriers and make your Asian-American patients feel more comfortable.